Heavenly Mystery Key

Fairy Caiyi's expression shifted. She seemed to have discovered something extraordinary.

But just as she was about to investigate further, a golden lock suddenly appeared in the old man's sea of consciousness. At the slightest touch, it exploded.

The tremendous shockwave instantly annihilated the old man's soul, and his body rapidly shriveled.

Had Fairy Caiyi not dodged quickly, her soul would likely have suffered severe damage.

"A soul restriction!"

Fairy Caiyi enunciated each word, still shaken by the close call.

Even so, she had uncovered a shocking secret. Unfortunately, the golden lock had abruptly interrupted the soul search, and the information she obtained was not specific.

Just then, Qin Fei walked over from the side.

At the sight of the old man's miserable state, Qin Fei clicked his tongue inwardly. His expression remained unchanged, however, as he bowed respectfully.

"Greetings, Senior Caiyi."

"Qin Fei, was it? You did very well this time."

Fairy Caiyi looked Qin Fei over and gave him a smile of praise.

Qin Fei was somewhat puzzled. He ventured a question:

"Senior, did you discover why this man targeted the chamber of commerce?"

Fairy Caiyi shook her head.

"This man wasn't an assassin sent after the chamber of commerce. You don't need to know the details."

"You arrived at just the right time. I have a question for you. Did you see anything strange in this scrapyard?"

Qin Fei's heart stirred, and he suddenly thought of the "Heavenly Mystery Key" he had obtained.

Could it be that this man attacked me for the key?

Recalling the voice recorded by the image-recording spider, Qin Fei's heart tightened.

He understood that even if he denied it, Fairy Caiyi would find a way to investigate.

The old man's miserable fate after having his soul searched was still fresh in his mind.

Rather than let that happen, he might as well openly hand over this hot potato.

Without hesitation, Qin Fei took an ancient-looking octagonal disc from his Storage Bag.

"I picked this up in the puppet scrapyard. Is this what you mean, Senior?"

Fairy Caiyi's eyes lit up.

"That's it. Come, accompany me to the Lin Household."

What she didn't know was that another identical key was lying in Qin Fei's Storage Bag at that very moment.

It was the one Qin Fei had copied after his mastery of puppetry had greatly improved.

Hearing Fairy Caiyi's words, Qin Fei's thoughts raced, but he could only agree.

Looking at the puppet fragments scattered across the ground, he felt a pang of regret.

Even the Flame Martial Envoy hadn't lasted a single exchange against the old man.

The First-Tier Superior-Grade Still Water Sword had been knocked away by a single blow.

The disparity in strength was like a vast chasm, difficult to cross.

This battle had shown him the gap between himself and the top fighters of Shangyu Market.

Even with superior numbers, all he could do was flee for his life, and he most likely wouldn't have escaped.

Seeing Fairy Caiyi kill the old man so effortlessly only strengthened his resolve.

He had to reach Foundation Establishment.

As for the broken puppets, he could only refine them again later.

That would be another considerable expense. Qin Fei felt that his good days had barely begun before he was poor again.

Could I have been born with a poverty physique?

Unaware of his thoughts, Fairy Caiyi raised a hand and gently lifted it. A multicolored cloud suddenly appeared beneath their feet.

Then they rose into the air and vanished into the sky.

It was Qin Fei's first time flying through the air, and he felt a surge of excitement.

Normally, only Foundation Establishment cultivators could tread upon empty air.

If Qi Refinement cultivators wanted to fly, they had to rely on flying Law Artifacts.

Flying Law Artifacts were expensive, and Qin Fei had always been short of funds. As a result, he had never flown, despite having cultivated until now.

Now that he had finally experienced it, he felt a touch of emotion.

What was cultivation for? Immortality?

Qin Fei thought that was too far off.

To live carefree and unrestrained seemed more fitting.

Just like now, as he watched the things on either side recede and the mountains and waters in the distance draw nearer.

The past seemed like clouds drifting before his eyes, unworthy of attention.

Even Shangyu Market's ban on flying couldn't touch him.

This was what cultivation should be like.

They flew swiftly, and before long they arrived in the heart of the Lin Household's grounds.

The Lin Household seemed to have known Fairy Caiyi was coming, and they encountered no obstacles along the way.

Only when they reached a towering building did two figures come out to welcome them.

One was the head of the Lin Household, whom Qin Fei had been fortunate enough to meet once during the counterattack.

The other was someone Qin Fei hadn't expected: Lin Man, who had visited the lantern festival with him before.

On second thought, she was the Lin Household's little princess, so it was only natural for her to be here.

Lin Man had changed out of her plain robes, and her whole bearing was markedly different.

She looked a little less stern and a little more alluring.

"Fellow Daoist Caiyi, forgive me for not coming farther out to welcome you. What wind blew you here?"

"Naturally, I have an important matter to discuss."

Caiyi nodded in greeting, and Qin Fei bowed respectfully as well.

"Greetings, Senior."

"Brother Qin, why aren't you greeting me?"

Lin Man's voice was rather cool. She seemed to still be brooding over what had happened at the lantern festival.

Qin Fei acted as though he didn't know why. He smiled faintly and cupped his hands.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, I trust you've been well."

Seeing that they knew one another, the Lin Household head couldn't help growing curious.

When he learned that Qin Fei was an outer Attendant of the Lin Household, realization dawned on him.

"So you're one of our own. Let's talk inside."

They entered the main hall and sat on opposite sides.

At first, they exchanged a few pleasantries. Then Fairy Caiyi began speaking directly to the two members of the Lin Household by voice transmission.

Qin Fei swore he had never attended such an uncomfortable meeting.

There wasn't a sound, yet the leaders kept looking at him, sometimes smiling, sometimes surprised.

In the end, one of them even slammed the table and sprang to his feet. Qin Fei had no idea what had driven him mad.

Of course, he only dared think these things to himself. He would never dare let them show.

Lin Man, sitting opposite him, was also acting strangely. One moment her brows were furrowed in concern, and the next she was beaming. He had no idea what happy news she had heard.

"Qin Fei, tell us what happened when you were attacked."

Fairy Caiyi suddenly turned to him, pulling Qin Fei back to reality.

"Yes, Senior."

Qin Fei slowly recounted what had happened, from the old man's appearance to his death at Senior Caiyi's hands, leaving out no detail, however small.

At the end, he took a small spider from his robes and pinched it between two fingers, extracting an image-recording stone.

The image-recording stone projected a screen of light, showing the scene of Fairy Caiyi killing the old man.

After watching the recording, the Lin Household patriarch's expression turned icy.

"Fellow Daoist Caiyi was right. That secret realm may really be about to appear."

"The Lu Household kept the news to themselves. It seems they intend to claim it all."

"Hmph. Back then, they fled their home like stray dogs. They've clearly forgotten who brought them into Shangyu Market and gave them the peaceful lives they enjoy today."

Fairy Caiyi did not agree with the Lin Household patriarch. She knew something of what had happened back then.

After the defeat at Qinghe Market, the Lin Household had actually been unwilling to take them in. It was the Azure Wood Palace that had secretly brought them together, giving rise to the Shangyu Market of today.

But each side had its own argument, and there was no need to debate the matter now.

"I didn't come here today to listen to your complaints. Take a look at this."

She turned her hand over, and an octagonal disc appeared in her palm.

The Lin Household patriarch's long beard bristled as he cried out:

"The Heavenly Mystery Key! You've already found it!"

Then realization dawned on him, and he gradually regained his composure.

"Fairy, you came here because you wish to cooperate with my Lin Household, didn't you?"

Fairy Caiyi nodded candidly and said:

"That's right. That treasure won't be easy to obtain. This is the Lin Household's territory, so cooperating with you is naturally the best choice."

"But Young Friend Qin found this key and rendered a great service. Shouldn't you show your appreciation, old fellow?"

Hearing this, Qin Fei felt no joy. Instead, a trace of foreboding rose in his heart.

He and Fairy Caiyi were neither relatives nor friends, so why was she trying to secure a treasure for him?